Who started riding after age 30

I've started twice after 30. The first time I was 38, had the bike (2000 ZRX1100) for a week, crashed via a low side entirely my fault.

Waited several years, decided to try again. Took the MSF course and then purchased a SV650, then a XR650L (after hanging out on advrider.com). Got the bug to commute and the XR650L wasn't going to work for my current commute. So I get a 2002 FZ1...had it for a week before crashing, via a low side entirely my fault.

Will I ride again? Family says..."NO, you're too old to start riding!"...perhaps they are right, but I still have the FZ1, along with all the parts to repair...so once my wrist is loosened up enough to twist the throttle, who knows I might jump back on just to see if I can regain what was lost.

Then again, a dirt bike for fun and learning might be a better choice, at least for me.

M.

I'm 56 and got my 1st and 2nd bikes this past summer -- having never ridden before. The 1st is a '76 Kawasaki KZ900 because my friend was selling it and i'm kinda old school and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Bought all the gear, took the training course in early May, and started riding. Couldn't get past the end of my driveway on my 1st attempt.

Then the cam chain broke after a total of 46 miles, so back it went to my friend for a tear-down and repair. He got distracted and by July, with still no bike, I was pretty antsy because the season here is pretty much over in September. So I found a very nice '07 V-Strom 650 with 4,000 km and took the plunge for a 2nd time.

So far, mostly just low-speed practice in parking lots and such and still not further than 40 km from home, but it's a start. Only 4 more months of winter... which I can use to get into better shape.

Cheers,
Rod.

I started riding at 44. Had ridden behind my dad when he had a bike, when I was 10, and got the bug then. Wanted one for a lot of years, but wisely waited until I (maybe) had just a little sense.

Went to my sister's on the FL coast, and rode their 49CC scooter up and down the beach. Came home and said I gotta get me one of those. Decided to get a motorbike instead of a small scoot so I could do longer trips. Took the MSF class to make sure I wouldn't freak out before I spent a few thousand bucks, and had a Bonnie sitting in my driveway the next Thursday. As I was in the middle of my purchase, I realized I was the exact same age as my dad when he bought his bike!

That was near the beginning of 11/2006. Didn't tell any of the family, just showed up on it at Thanksgiving. Mom said "my brother did the same thing to my mom"... funny, didn't know I did anything TO her. She accepts it now, specially when I come see them more often, to get in a ride.

47 years old and purchased a 1200GSA. I really wish I had started earlier, so I could have been enjoying this longer.

I'm one of those. I'm 43. I'd ridden lots of dirt bikes, quads and such. As a boy I rode a buds XR75 all the time. My folks never could hook me up. Fast forward to now and I bought a 2006 Ducati 1000S Multistrada. First bike I've ever owned. I ride it like I stole it and grin every mile. Zard exhaust sounds awesome, gets very fast....um....very fast Did I mention the grin?

I'd wanted to have a bike all my life. It just never all lined up. Now it has and it's more fun than I ever imagined

The dates and the route for the BBCTR4 are set! Just add your name to the list here...

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=420169

Back in the glory days ('79) I rode a new DT175. Did a lot of river riding and such.

Had a Sporster in the late 80's. Got married, had a kid, lost the bike.

Last year I picked up an XR250 and it feels oh so good!!

Used to ride years ago, aged 20, but after a few years acquired an antibike husband. Bought a car, had kids, kids left home, antibike husband stayed , still antibike. So I bought a Suzuki 125, hid it in the old lady up the roads garden. Antibike husband found out after about 3 months, went ape, so I sold it - and bought a Yamaha Fazer 600. Brand new. Then added a Yam Serow for dirt riding. Husband has now given in and bought his own TransAlp. I'm nudging 50 now, been with him for 23 very long years, and I shall do as I bloody well like !

Safe riding y'all,

Belle

Hadn't been on a bike since college 30 years ago. Woke up one day and told my wife that I wanted a bike. I was over 50 at the time. She took the MSF course with me (man, I really love this woman) before purchasing a Yamaha cruiser. I/we have owned more than a dozen different bikes since then - cruisers, standards, VFR's, RR's, and the latest addition is a GS.
We're both avid riders and it's great doing this together!

I rode lost of friends bikes since childhood and always wanted my own. Last year i was thinking about a new car and my wife said " I thought you wanted a motorcycle." So I bought a BMW 1200 Adventure and surprised her and myself. took the MSF course and have enjoyed it.

First bike at 41 for me as well.

I rode a little in college but last time I had been on a bike, I crashed. Got married 6 years after that, had kids and then got divorced after 12 years of marriage. I had always wanted to get a bike but it was never a marital 'financial' priority. Finally picked one up in November and have been loving every minute on it!

Looking back, I'm kind of glad I waited. It's amazing what a few extra years of perspective does for maturity on the bike.

I rode friends' bikes as a teenager (Yamaha 125, Suzuki RM80, etc) and for a couple of years when I was around 15, I owned a Safari moped (Italian, and the fastest moped in town -- 33mph! -- except for my friend's Motobecane with the variable-ratio belt drive...)

That was the extent of my "motorcycle" experience up until a couple months ago when I bought a new Suzuki DR650SE at the age of 45. I plan to take the MSF course as soon as I can get in, but I love the DR.

How do I feel about taking up bikes at this age? Wish I had done it sooner. On the other hand, better late than never.

As a new rider, I have found this website to be a HUGE help to me in learning about bikes and riding. Many thanks to the hosts and inmates who have offered me their advise and expertise...

What was I thinking?

My Grandfather and his brothers rode Indians in the 40's & 50's. Great Uncle Johnny had a pretty ugly wreck, all riding stopped, no bike for Dad. Dad started riding in his mid-20's, wrecked pretty bad, no bike for me. In 1999, 26 years old at the time, some buddies and I were in the Guatemalan mountains, saw a gringo in a small town on a yellow GS. I said out loud, "I've got to get on of those."

Forward to the summer of 2006, now 34, I signed up for a MSF course. I am a firm believer that if I don't know how to do something that might get me killed I had better get some professional instruction.

What was my first bike?

Went back to work overseas for 3 months, bought a 2002 R1150R on ebay, way cheaper than an Adv. plus if I found out I hated riding I would still have the fantasy of the GS intact. Had it delivered to a buddies house. Came home for a month and had a great time with a healthy dash of fear. Rode a modest 200 miles that month, it was November.

How do I feel?

Grateful. To echo others here; 1st I am a much more aware/safer/logical rider than I would have been in my 20's or earlier, 2nd, now I can afford the bikes I really want.

Progression?

After the month with the R1150R I went back to work 7 months. While there I decided a brand new 2007 GS Adv. was for me. Found a dealer about as far away from home, Athens Ga., as possible, Medford Oregon, plotted a route home with a dealer at 600 miles for service and placed the order. Came home from work flew to Medford to pick it up, bike had 6 test miles on it when I pulled off with my 250 miles of experience in-tow. Pulled into my driveway just as the Odometer turn to 4,600 miles.

The next June I rode to Toronto and flew the bike to Portugal and stored it as a dedicated Get Out And See The World Bike, went back rode 2000 miles in Northern Portugal in a month and stored it again. Cannot wait to get back to Europe and Big Squirrel, that's her name.

until 2004, I had no driver license at all.
So as the age of 36 years, I decided to run for it.
1st, I got the DL for cars. more for usefulness than pleasure.
but as I went for it, I thought why not keep going for bikes.
In August 04, I bought a transalp 600.
I really want a bmw R1150R. a beauty for my eyes.
but friends told me a 80HP bike as a 1st one is a tad crazy.
Hence the transalp.
September 04. got the license.
November 04. got a great deal for a R1150R
had a great time with it.
Summer 05. My wife and I went to Roma with all luggages.
on the way back, she told me that this bike wasn't fit for her.
uncomfortable.
March 06. got a 12GS.
far better.
and for my 40th birthday, bought a 12ADV.
ride my bike nearly everyday. do like 40.000kms per year.
used the car sometimes when she dont want to drive.

regrets ? none.
because I have the idea that if I had the license before, meaning younger, I may be dead by now.....

/thierry

Never even sat on a bike until I turned 60. Always envied those I saw riding. Took the MSF course to see if it was something I wanted to pursue. Fell in love. I bought my first bike. Rode for a year and then took the Experienced MSF course. I have had six bikes in the last 4 1/2 years. I now have 2 that I am very happy with, and I love riding.


Ray

LOL.. I just saw this..... I had been riding horses my whole life Hunters/jumpers and Race horses ... Mate was a Race horse trainer..
Did ride on the back of motos with my brother when I was really little...
My mate had been riding motos on and off for many years... So he was a retread , he didn't start riding fully again 1990 ...
My Mom gave me a Motorcycle !!! How cool is that !!! It was a 1982 Honda Hawk Twin in mint condition ... Way to tall for me to even get close to the ground.. So that is when my mate started riding again... He was in his late to middle 40's ... Again I rode on the back with him all over this country... On all of his other bikes that he picked up over the years..
LOL around 150k miles on the back... Then a girl friend said lets take the safety course .. Did that in 2001 I was 39 .... Don (mate) Got me a NightHawk .. After that I got my Valk (Trike) ... Stopped riding horses all the time.... And now ride moto's all the time..
My life with horses had been changing over the years .. Had gotten into breeding end of horses back in 1985 ... Was still breaking and training till 2005.. Haven't been on a horse since then.... We had moved still have 9 head but most are old breeding stock .. And retirement horses...


So I started riding moto's myself at the age of 39.....
Mate got back into riding after many years of not at age 40 something..

We put on 25k to 40k a year on bikes each..

I just started riding last year at 32.

I was thinking I've always wanted to learn how, rode around on the back of a mini bike as a kid, and really like snowmobiling, which I assumed must be kind of similar. My parents told me as a kid that if I got a motorcycle there would be some consequence...I can't remember what it was, so it must be time to get one!

First and only bike is a 1985 Honda XL250R, I'm already looking for something with a little longer legs, and have started a new bike fund for when I find it - more likely when I have the dinero, I'll start trying to find what I want.

I feel good about starting so late. I think I have a little better judgment than I used to, and these days I feel less invincible, so I'm willing to accept a shallower learning curve at the expense of some thrills.

After getting my bike, my wife got bored watching me zip around so we got her a little XR80 to learn on (she's small) and now she has a '72 Yamaha dt100 2t enduro too. Wait a second, how did she get two bikes without getting her license yet!:eek1 Dang.

I have been riding since i was 11 on a used Kawasaki G4tr 100, and did that until i was in high school, then never really got back into it until I bought a WR250R last year. I bought it for the mileage going to and from work, plus i took it to CO and the Singing San juan mountains, and just had a blast! My only true regret is not doing it sooner (getting a bike). I love this bike though.... And its only limitation i have found so far is, well, ME...